Cannes 2021: 'Everything Went Fine' Review

OK, see if you can follow this. Writer Emmanuele Bernheim, who worked with director Francois Ozon on films like Swimming Pool, wrote a book about the experience of helping her ailing father take his own life. Now, that book has been turned into a movie by Ozon, who also views the film as a tribute to Bernheim, who died a few years ago. As a result, Everything Went Fine is an elegy within an elegy. My review is live over at Screen International.

Cannes 2021: 'Val' Review

Val Kilmer seems to have fallen off the radar lately. Well, there's a good reason for that: He's been battling health issues for a little while. A new documentary that draws from footage the actor has shot over the years offers a glimpse into his life and his creative process, not to mention his grappling with his career decline. My review of Val is up at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: The Best Films of 2021 (So Far) and My Cannes Preview

This episode is jam-packed with goodies. First, we each pick our six favorite movies from the first half of this year. (There are a few I haven't gotten to yet, sadly.) And then, I talk about a bunch of films I'm excited to see at Cannes. (I'm heading off tomorrow.) Hope you enjoy.

H.E.R. - "Damage"

Gabriella Sarmiento Wilson has already won a Grammy (actually, four) and an Oscar. And she only just turned 24. Please tell H.E.R. to stop making the rest of us look unambitious.

'The Boss Baby: Family Business' Review

Because I was going to be reviewing The Boss Baby: Family Business, I knew that meant I would finally have to watch the original Boss Baby. Oof, that movie is awful. The sequel? It ain't much better.

'Black Widow' Review

People are being entirely too kind to Black Widow, which I think is one of the weaker installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I get into it over at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'F9,' 'False Positive' and 'I Carry You With Me'

We disagreed on two movies this week, but we're on the same page about Heidi Ewing's immigrant love story. You can hear the whole episode down below.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': Werewolves, Fast Cars, Love Stories and 'False Positive'

On Friday, I was on Press Play alongside Witney Seibold to discuss Werewolves Within, F9, I Carry You With Me and False Positive. We had some laughs. Check it out down below.

Celeste - "Stop This Flame"

This is the sound of me running from screening to screening before I leave for Cannes.

How '28 Days Later' Changed Zombie Movies (and Post-Apocalyptic Cinema) in the 21st Century

28 Days Later is a beast, and for SyFy, I wrote about this incredibly scary film, which hit U.S. theaters on June 27, 2003. Hope you enjoy.

Tribeca 2021: 'The Novice' Review

A college student is determined to be picked for her school's rowing team. But why? The Novice was one of the big winners at this year's Tribeca, and it's an interesting subversion of sports-movies tropes. (For example, who says that the underdog main character even needs to like the sport she's training to master?) My review is up at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Pixar, Bad Sequels, Sparks and 'Fatherhood'

We dig into four new movies on this week's podcast. We both discuss Luca and Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard. Will asks me about The Sparks Brothers, and I ask him about Kevin Hart's latest, Fatherhood. You can hear the whole thing down below.

Tribeca 2021: 'No Sudden Move' Review

Steven Soderbergh's latest is rich in atmosphere, which is good because I'm not convinced its plot entirely makes sense. But, then again, that's kind of the point with these kinds of moody crime dramas. My review of No Sudden Move is up at Screen International.

Mura Masa (featuring Georgia) - "Live Like We're Dancing"

I wanna feel like I felt it.

Tribeca 2021: 'Werewolves Within' Review

I'd like to see Veep's Sam Richardson in more stuff. But I'd rather it not be Werewolves Within, which I didn't think was very funny or scary. I get into why over here.

Tribeca 2021: 'Fathom' Review

The documentary Fathom follows two separate scientists studying humpback whales. But this isn't one of those nature films that's full of glossy photography and inspiring insights. Instead, it's an examination of just how arduous the pursuit of knowledge can be. (The film features as many setbacks as aha discoveries.) My review is up at Screen International.

'Luca' Review

Luca doesn't have the spectacle and set pieces of most Pixar films. But I found its gentle exploration of friendship to be rather lovely. I reviewed the movie for Screen International.

Tribeca 2021: 'Ferguson Rises' Review

It's been seven years since the murder of Michael Brown. Ferguson Rises returns to his hometown to examines what's changed (and what hasn't) in that Missouri community. My review is here.

Tribeca 2021: 'Queen of Glory' Review

Nana Mensah makes her feature directorial debut with Queen of Glory, where she stars as a woman who's just lost her mother -- and just learned she's inherited her mom's Christian bookstore. Good stuff -- my review is up at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'In the Heights,' 'Infinite' and 'Sideways'

 

It was the best of new releases, it was the worst of new releases. We both quite liked In the Heights, but Infinite just about snuffed out our will to live. Then, in our Reboot segment, we look back at 2004's Sideways, which I never loved as much as some many other moviegoers did. Hear the whole thing down below.

 

Tribeca 2021: 'No Future' Review

A young man's best friend overdoses. He reaches out to the friend's mother to offer his condolences. A romantic affair begins. I liked Catherine Keener and Charlie Heaton in No Future, which I reviewed for Screen International.

Tribeca 2021: 'God's Waiting Room' Review

There have been several high-profile indies in the last few years set in Florida, including Moonlight and The Florida Project. Now comes God's Waiting Room, which also makes good use of the locales to tell a story of disconnection and uncertainty. The film crafts a spell, even if the plotting starts to fall apart. My review is up at Screen International. 

Tribeca 2021: 'The Kids' Review

In theory, a documentary about Kids ought to be a slam dunk for someone like me who loved the Larry Clark movie at the time but has had serious misgivings about it since. (The film currently isn't available anywhere for streaming.) And yet, The Kids, which talks to the non-actors who were part of the film, is more miss than hit. I explain why here.

Tribeca 2021: 'No Man of God' Review

Thank god, another movie about Ted Bundy. To be fair, I appreciated director Amber Sealey's approach, which was to totally strip away any romanticism around the serial killer's dark allure. (And there's one visual technique she incorporates that I think is actually great.) Still, No Man of God didn't work for me. My review is up at Screen International. 

Tribeca 2021: 'Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain' Review

I have to confess that I was never a big Anthony Bourdain guy. Nothing against him, I just never watched his show. (I think my obstacle was that I'm just not a big foodie.) Nonetheless, I was pretty engaged by Morgan Neville's look back at his life and death. For Screen International, I reviewed Roadrunner.

Is 'Jurassic Park' the Most Important Movie of the Last 30 Years?

The Steven Spielberg film came out this week in 1993. Over at SyFy, I argue that its impact on Hollywood is still felt, for better or worse. Read on.

Chvrches - 'Leave a Trace'

The band's fourth album, Screen Violence, is coming out in August. So far, I haven't heard a single that compares with this 2015 stand-out. 

'12 Mighty Orphans' Review

I'm a sucker when it comes to sports movies: They don't have to be great to give me a little rush. But, man oh man, 12 Mighty Orphans really stinks. My review is up at Screen International.

'The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard' Review

The wife is kinda fun, but the hitman and the bodyguard are (still) the pits. My review of this needless sequel is live at Screen International.

'Loki' Review

Disney made only the first two episodes of Loki available to critics. For Screen International, I gave the MCU spinoff a try.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'All Light, Everywhere,' 'Undine' and 'Lords of Dogtown'

We didn't have much interest in this past weekend's studio releases, so we focused on two indies instead, which were far more rewarding. I had lots of nice things to say about the latest films from Theo Anthony and Christian Petzold. And then I trashed Catherine Hardwicke's 2005 try-hard skateboard drama. Listen to the episode down below.

Moodymann (featuring Amp Fiddler) - "Taken Away"

"Dixon was sitting in a van outside his own building in Detroit when someone reported 'suspicious behavior' and the cops rolled up with their chaos. He made it out alive. Echoes of the conflict are all over his new album."

Moodymann, who was born Kenny Dixon, Jr., put out Taken Away last year, and the title track sneaked up on me this week.

'Spirit Untamed' Review

Do you love horses? Well, you may love Spirit Untamed. Even so, I don't think the movie's so hot.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Sequels, Origin Stories and 'Plan B'

We tackled three new movies on this week's episode. We're both big fans of A Quiet Place Part II, we both disliked Cruella, and we both feel bad we didn't dig Plan B more. Hear the whole thing down below.

Let's Rank Zack Snyder Films

Now that Army of the Dead is out, we have to ask: Where does it rank among Zack Snyder's movies? We have the answer over at Vulture.

Jungle Brothers - "Beyond This World"

First you crawl before you walk
First you think before you talk
I found in life that you wear a hard hat
Protect your mind and bad things will stay back

(Happy Memorial Day weekend, folks.)

'Cruella' Review

Cruella looks great. And Emma Stone is fun in it. Otherwise? It just feels like another needless prequel/reboot. My review is up at Screen International.

Why I Love Bob Dylan's Singing Voice

Bob Dylan turned 80 yesterday. Over at InsideHook, they're spending all week running pieces about the man and his music. My contribution was writing about Dylan's singing voice, which is an underrated weapon in his arsenal. This was a lot of fun.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Fighting About 'New Order'

It was one of my favorite films I saw in 2020. This year, New Order finally had its official release in the U.S. We talked about it on this week's podcast, as well as reviewed Army of the Dead and The Killing of Two Lovers. Hear the whole thing down below.

'In the Heights' Review

I went into In the Heights not knowing a ton about the musical. In terms of movies, it's not as great as Hamilton, but it's still pretty darn strong. My review is here.

Jorja Smith (featuring Shaybo) - "Bussdown"

Have a laid-back weekend, everybody.

'Revenge of the Sith' and the End of George Lucas' Reign

When I was doing research for my piece on the anniversary of Revenge of the Sith's release, I found this quote from an anonymous studio executive back when the prequels were first announced: "Somebody else doing Star Wars means nothing; George Lucas doing it means everything." And then I knew I had my in to talk about Lucas' legacy. My piece is up at SyFy.

'A Quiet Place Part II' Review

Looking at the early reviews of A Quiet Place Part II, I'm apparently on the high side in terms of reactions. I think it's better than the original. You can read my review here.

'F9' Review

F9 is so big and so dumb and so silly and I enjoyed a lot of it. But I'm sorry, it's just so dumb. My review is up at Screen International.

Hot Docs 2021: 'The Sparks Brothers' Review

I can't say I'm the biggest Sparks fan. I know their music, but I'm far from a devotee. But several days of intense listening followed up with Edgar Wright's new documentary about the band helped turn me around. Here's my review of The Sparks Brothers.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: 'The Woman in the Window' and Other Stinkers

Three new movies on this week's podcast, and I think they're all bad. First, we differ on Those Who Wish Me Dead. Then, we lament Amy Adams' decision to be in The Woman in the Window. Finally, we try to figure out why Chris Rock is so bad in Spiral: From the Book of Saw. Hear the whole bloody thing down below. 

Sparks - "Music That You Can Dance To"

Let's dance.

'Press Play With Madeleine Brand': 'The Killing of Two Lovers' Is the Highlight of This Weekend's Movies

I was on KCRW today to discuss Spiral, Those Who Wish Me Dead and Oxygen. But my colleague Shawn Edwards and I most enjoyed Robert Machoian's minimalist drama. You can hear our segment down below.

'Those Who Wish Me Dead' Review

Hitmen, firefighters, kids in peril, Angelina Jolie: Those Who Wish Me Dead has some interesting elements going for it, but I found the film wanting. My review is up at Screen International.

'The Mummy' Has Held Up Really Well

More than 20 years after it came out, 1999's The Mummy is still silly, goofy, scary fun. How did that happen? I wrote about it over at SyFy.

'Spiral: From The Book Of Saw' Review

Chris Rock came up with an idea for a Saw movie. And so we now have Spiral. The idea isn't bad but Rock, surprisingly, is. You can read my review here.

Let's Rank Guy Ritchie's Movies

Now that Wrath of Man is out, we have a list over at Vulture evaulating all the director's films. Verdict: Many of them are just OK. You can check out the rankings here.

'Army of the Dead' Review

Zack Snyder's Justice League was sprawling, ambitious, fascinating ... and it still didn't entirely work. I found myself less forgiving of Army of the Dead, which feels less inspired and impassioned. My review is up at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Jason Statham, Billy Crystal and 'Bamboozled'

I wasn't a fan of either of the new movies we reviewed on this week's episode. You can hear us discuss Wrath of Man and Here Today, but the best part of the show is our long talk about Spike Lee's divisive satire from 2000. You can hear the whole thing down below.

'Wrath of Man' Review

I knew I'd forgotten to post something this week, which should tell you how I felt about Wrath of Man. My review is up at Screen International.

Mitski - "Geyser"

Every time the opening track from Be the Cowboy comes on, that droning keyboard makes me think I'm hearing Einstein on the Beach. It's always a bit of a jolt. The rest of "Geyser" sounds nothing like the Philip Glass score, but it's striking in its own way.

The Least-Listened-To Songs on Great Albums

Recently, Spotify changed its layout, allowing you to see the play counts of every song on every album. For InsideHook, I checked out a bunch of classic albums to see which track was played least. Some of these songs are actually great -- I can't believe more folks don't listen to 'em. Here's my tribute to some underloved songs.

'Oxygen' Review

Mélanie Laurent plays a woman who wakes up in a cryogenic chamber, utterly terrified and confused. How did she get there? Where is she? How long has she been out? And, more importantly, who is she? (She can't even remember what her name is.) For Screen International, I reviewed the claustrophobic thriller Oxygen.

'Here Today' Review

There have been some excellent films about dementia recently. And now comes ... a really bad one. Billy Crystal's Here Today tells the story of an aging comic legend who's battling memory issues. Tiffany Haddish is the struggling singer who befriends him. I hated it. I reviewed the movie for Screen International.

'Above Suspicion' Review

Emilia Clarke is fun as a seductress longing to escape her small-town life, but Above Suspicion didn't do much for me. My review of this hillbilly noir is live over at Screen International.

The Grierson & Leitch Podcast: Michael B. Jordan, Tom Clancy, Killer Robots and 'Things Heard & Seen'

One real good movie, two real not-good movies on this week's episode of the podcast. See The Mitchells vs. the Machines, folks. And hear our reviews and lively banter down below.

Let's Rank All the Tom Clancy Movies

Now that Tom Clancy's Without Remorse is out, let's determine where it ranks among all of the adaptations of the author's work. You can find the answer over at Vulture.